Improvement in horse-powers



ILPEIERS, PHAOTWLITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON, D C.

aitert gieten Letters Patent .N 104,240, dated June 14, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN HORSE-POWERS.

The Schedule lreferred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all ywhom it may concern Bc it known that I, Sn'rfr WHEELER, of Albany, in the State of' N ew York, have invented and made an Improvement in Ho1'se-Iowers; 'and the following is hereby declared to be a correct description of the saine.-V

lhis invention relates to the horse-power known as the triple-geared power, in which the horse is hitched to a lever, and travels around the power, the lever being connected to a master-wheel or ring that has gearteeth upon its inner face .taking into the pinion of gearwheels that drive the cent-ral pinion and shaft.

In constructing horse-powers of this kind great difculty is experienced; some of them work admirably', while others are absolutely useless, and both machines may be made from the same patterns. 'lhis difficulty arises from inequalities in the contraction of metal in cooling, and from inaccuracies in placingthe cores, as 1t is usual to cast holes in the frames into which the stationary vert-ical shafts or spindles ofthe gear-wheels `are introduced, and the wheels revolve upon these shafts, the shafts themselves being secured firmly in place. In consequence of this mode of construction, the parts are seldom true, and the gear-wheels often hind, rendering the machine useless. Furthermore, there is great difiioulty in maintaining a supply of oil to the bearings, particularly under the high degree of speed to which some portions are subjected.

In my improved horse-power the three wheels and their pinions are secured upon shafts that run at their ends in boxes or bearings at thc ends of' the shafts, instead of the wheel turning on a stationary shaft, and these hearings are received loosely in sockets cast in thc frame. lhe parts ofthe machine are set together and properly adjusted, the lmovement ot' the bearings in thc sockets allowing of' this adjustment, and then the spaces between the bearings and their respective sockets are filled with lead or other material, so as to hold the bearings firmly in place.

By this construction the three wheels can be proprly positioned relatively to the central pinion, aud- 'the three pinions adjusted so as to take properly the teeth of the ring or master-wheel.

I make use of oil-containing pinions, that act tolu-v hnicate the upper journals of the shafts, and I provide bearing-surfaces between the master-wheel and the pinions so that their teeth are not unduly pressed together.

-In the drawing--` Figure 1 is a pla-n of -n1y said horse-power, and

Figure 2 is a vertical section at the line a;

The frame or base a is made with a socket, b, for the box c of the central shaft d, and it also has sockets, e c e, for the boxes i i @'of thc shafts f f f.

Upon the frame a are columns, It, that sustain the upper'ring-frame 7a and triangular fra-me I.

lhe frame Z sustains the heal-iugm of the central shaft d, and the frame 1t is made with sockets, n n n, receiving the boxes o o o ofthe shaftsf.

The shaftsf carry wheels g that gear into the ccnt-ral pinion p on the shaft (l. They also carry pinions q, that are acted upon by the master-wheel or ringo'.

lhe master-wheel 'r has an inward circular flange, s, that bears against the circular hub-portions tot' the piuions q, so as to prevent the teeth engaging each other too deeply on one side and notlsufficiently on the other side,ias heretofore usual, thus avoiding un. necessary friction and frequently breakage. To this master-wheel the lever for the horse or horses is attached in any usual manner, and the projecting endsl 0f the frame Z keep said wheel T from risin".

The circularhea-ringt for the master-wheel might be below the pinion or teeth, it' desired, and he removable,so as to be changed when worn.

It is now to be understood that the movable boxes in the respective sockets of the frames allow the parts to be adjusted and positioned with accuracy, according to regular measurements or gauges, or after the re spective parts are put together, and then the boxes are fixed firmly in their places, by means of melted lead orother metal poured in between the boxes and sockets. By this'manner of construction the inequalities in the frame from contraction of the metal are counter-acted, and variations inthe posit-ions of the vertical shafts prevented. v

The cost of this construction is lessV than in cases wh ere the frames arc aocuratel y bored to form bearings for the vertical shafts, and repairs are facilitated.l

The shafts in my horse-power, revolving with the wheels, insure greater accuracyand durability than in cases where theV shafts are stationary for the .wheels to revolve upon, and the wear comes upon the movable boxes and shafts that can easily be replaced..

rIhe vertical shafts d ff f are supported uponmetal pla-tes or. Washers (I. prefer steel) introduced within the holes of the boxesc i t i, so that the vert-ical position ofthe respective wheels. and shafts can be adjusted, and said plates can be replaced when worn, and friction will be lessened. lhe boxes c and -i are eupshaped at their upper ends, to retain the oil.

The shaft l is provided with a bevel-wheel, u, tak ing the pinion c on the shaft a, that is supported in bearings, which are provided with oil-receptacles below the journals, so that the parts may be kept lubricated by the capillary action ot cotton waste or wick introduced in said receptacles, and saturated with oil.

The shaft a.' is set at a downward inclination, so 'as to reach the surface of thc ground, and there be connccted by a coupling with the horizontal shaft. This renders it unnecessary tohave a double inclinedl plat form for the horses to pass over.

. heretofore usual in this character of horse-power.

,The pinions q are hollow, or cup-shaped, and the boxes o o extend down into these cups. The central pinion 'p has also a cup-shaped extension above it, into which the bearing m passes.. These cup-shaped receptacles do not come in contact with the bearings, but contain oil, by means of which the journals are lubricated,`and, there being nolopenings to allow the oil to run out of these cups or the cups of the boxes c and i, the oil will remain until worn ont, and hence there is no dilculty in keepiugall parts thoroughly lubricated.

The'gear-wheels and pinions are shown with teeth, but Ido not limit myself in this particular, as frictional surfaces might "be substituted for lthe teeth in some characters of powers.

1 claim as my invention- 1. The central shaft (l and 'beveled gears u yL', in combination .with the three gears q and pinions q, and their shafts f that ,revolve in tlie bearings z' o of the frame a I, substantially as specified.

v' 2. The master-wheel fr, formed with an inward circular flange, hearing upon and against the circular hubs t of lthe pinions q, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

' 3. A circular bearing around the shafts ff against.

which the .circular portion of the maste1`\vl1eel bears, substantially as and for the pnigposes specified. Y

-4. The lower journal-boxesi forthe shafts f, ccntaining oil-receptacles in their upper surfaces, and movable metallic plates or washers forsupporting and adjusting the lshafts f vertically, as set forth.

5. The jourual-boxes for the vertical 'shafts of the triple'gearedv horse-power, madev separately from the frame andintroduced into'and combined with sockets formed in the frame, and to which they are secured,

4of the journal-boxes o o, and revolving with the shafts,

substantially as and for the purposes set forth. o

9. The journal-box x, with a cavity for absorbent material, in combination with the shaft a', gears-u o, pinions q, and gears g, vas and for the purposes specied. I

10. The arrangement of the shaft u',=geal's u r, piu- -ions q, and gears g, with their shafts and supportingframes, in the manner specified, so that thc shaft w shall pass away from the machine at an inclina-tion, for the purposes specified., Signed by nie this 21st'day of January, 1870.

' SETH WHEELER. y Witnesses:

'AUGUSTUS H. WALSH, J oHN WOLFF. 

